What's your name?
by Akiboshi
Summary: Roxas is your average student with a boring life. One day he meets a redhead that changes his normal routine. Will love spark between the two? Akuroku
1. Chapter 1

I ran a hand through my blond locks as I walked toward my school. It was only the second month and I'm still not used to saying that I'm a sophomore if people asked. Also the fact that I'm short for my age and my so called baby face makes people think I'm a freshman.

_"If only people didn't judge others by their looks." _

While going through the hallways to get to the "usual spot", I saw some of the freshmen bickering with each other and started cussing at each other. I sighed at how they were behaving. Last year, we weren't as bad as that. It seems that the new students coming in each year get worse.

When I got to the grassy area with an old oak tree in the middle of it all, I saw that Vanitas, Hayner and Marluxia were already there.

"Morning everyone."

"Hey there how's it goin?"

"Nothing much, would you guys like to play a game of Egyptian War?"

"Wait, how do you play?"

"Everyone gets cards, doesn't look at them, take turn putting down cards, try to get all the cards, slap when there's a sandwich or double to gain the deck, and gets the whole deck depending on the royals."

"You would explain a somewhat difficult game in only a sentence."

I heard Zexion say as he sits down and takes out a thick book to read.

"Well I am the Master of Cards."

"Yah, tell that to Luxord. He never loses in cards."

"Luxord? Never heard of him. Remind me later to kick his butt alright, Marly?

He nodded at me.

"So who's playing?"

The three of them thought about it and then agreed. After 10 minutes into the game, we all heard a familiar voice penetrate the once silent air excluding the sounds from the card game.

"Why am I not surprised that you guys are playing cards so early in the morning?"

"Hey Yuf, wanna play?"

"Sure, Imma slap in and beat you all in Egyptian Rat Slap."

"War."

"Slap."

"War."

"Slap."

A slap was heard and I groaned since I missed a good chance to get the deck.

"Great you distracted me, thanks Yuf."

"No prob Roxy."

After a while the bell rang, signaling the start of passing period.

"Darn no slapping, oh well see ya guys."

"Bye everyone."

I waved and headed to my first period class with Vanitas. Sadly, I wasn't able to get a lot of classes with my close friends like I did last year. However, I'm glad for this because they could drag me into a whole lot of trouble from time to time.

When I took my seat behind Vanitas, I silenced out the monotone teacher and stared at the board. Halfway through the period I noticed that there was a quote next to the date today.

_"The most beautiful things in life cannot be seen, nor touch, but are felt in the heart. Hmm, what a nice saying." _

With nothing else better to do, I wrote down the quote in my sketchbook. I started sketching a chibi boy making half a heart with his right hand while a chibi girl completed it with her left hand.

After putting the finishing touches, I smiled at my doodle and then noticed a note on my desk. I opened it up and saw that it was from Vanitas.

_"Hey, wanna play for lunch?" _

I wrote "sure, rock paper scissors" on the paper and then placed it in his hoodie. A quiet grunt was heard when I did that since he hated it when I do that.

While we were passing homework back, he turned around and played a game of rock, paper, scissors, and lost. He handed me my homework with a frown, but I knew we were still awesome as always. We've been friends since kindergarten, and now that I think of it, we never really grew out of our habit of being a kid. I held my fist on his shoulder and when he turned, he hit it with his own.

_"Yup, buds for life." _

TIME SKIP - LUNCH

Back at the oak tree, we all met there and ate our lunch like we always do. Times like this where I could forget about the world for a second and do whatever is nice. After a few minutes, I was wondering were Vanitas was with our lunches. As soon as I thought that, someone taped my shoulder. I turned around and saw a guy with flaming red head with emerald eyes look at me.

"Name's Axel, Got it memorized?"

I blinked once when he said that line.

_"Couldn't he just say, 'Hi my name's Axel' like a normal person?" _

"Um, I guess. Do you need something?"

"Yah could you help me find the person that has the title, 'Master of Cards?'."

I chuckled when he said my nickname.

"You found the person."

"Oh here's you're lunch then. Vanitas said he couldn't give it to you himself since he had some club meetings to go to and that he'll beat you tomorrow in Go fish."

As soon as Axel finished saying that he handed me a tray of food that you would get if you bought lunch at the cafeteria line. I snickered at Vanitas' message thinking of which deck to bring tomorrow for the special event.

"Alright, thanks Axel."

I took a bite out of the cheese pizza happily since I haven't had it in so long.

"No problem shortie freshie."

He ruffled my hair as I swallowed my food and my eye slightly twitched at his comment. Not only did he call me a freshman, but also a shortie. Oh how I despised it when people point out my shortness.

"By the way, what's your name?"

I looked at him and stuck my tongue out at him.

"Not tellin ya."

His face turned into one of slight shock before going into a smile.

"Aww why not? I got you your lunch right?"

"Doesn't mean I have to give you my name."

"It's good manners to answer someone's question if they asked you right?"

I shrugged and kept eating on with my lunch as he started getting a slightly frustrated look on his face which made me laugh inside.

"Why won't you tell me your name?"

"Cause I don't feel like it."

When I reached out for my chocolate milk it was taken away by Axel and I looked at him in wonderment.

"Tell me your name or else you're not gonna get your milk."

I titled my head pretending to think about it then looked up to see Yuffie relaxed on a branch above. I glanced at the redhead who took my milk as hostage then swiftly climbed the oak tree with ease before sitting on a branch close to Yuffie's.

"It's gonna take more than stealing my milk to getting my name redhead."

A small snicker left my lips when I see him groan then put my milk down before walking away. Before he was about five feet away from the spot he was originally in, he turned around to look at me with a grin.

"I'm gonna get you're name somehow someday so don't think this is the end of things."

I blinked then just grinned back at him. After saying that, he ran of and disappeared from my view.

"Well then, there he goes."

"Yeah, who knew that a freshie like him is gonna go after ya."

"Hm? The redhead's a freshie?"

She nodded at me.

"Gosh why are some of the freshie's so tall?"

She just laughed at my question.

"Roxas, practically _everyone _is taller than you with the exceptions of some of our midget friends."

I sighed.

"Anyway, wanna play a game of Go Fish, Yuf?"

"Heh sure, better be in for a sweet lost blondie."

"Yah, like I'm gonna let you win that easily."

After that I took out my deck of cards to shuffle then think back to what Axel said about getting my name and smiled.

_"Things are gonna be a little more interesting from here on out."_


	2. Chapter 2

When the bell rang I yawned loudly then headed out the door. The day passed by like a blur and nothing particullarly exciting happened at all. Still, I was glad that school was done for now. I stretched my limbs as I walked down the hallway then let out a sigh. After putting the books I was carrying in my locker, I made my way to the usual spot near the oak tree. Seeing Vanitas and a couple of other people there, I smiled.

"Hey guys."

A simple 'hi' was given back from some people as I sat in front of Vanitas. He was staring at one math problem with deep concentration as Xion tried to explain it to him. In a few seconds he sighed heavily and threw the paper at a random direction.

"I rage quit for now. Oh hey Roxas, when did you get here?"

I smiled and shrugged a bit.

"I was here long enough to see the thinking face that you don't use very often."

A slap was delivered to my shoulder and I chuckled in response.

"Oh hey if I might ask, how do you know that redhead guy that got me lunch today?"

"Axel? He's one of my many minions."

The fact that Vanitas said that as if it was the most common thing to say made me laugh a little. He sure knows how to get a person into a better mood.

"Whatever you say."

"Yup. Are not going home yet blondie?"

"Nah, I rather hang with you guys until you get picked up. After that I'll walk."

Xion looked at me a bit concerned.

"You sure that's alright? We could take you home if you want. It won't be a problem at all."

"It's all good. You guys live pretty far from my house and I don't want to be a burden."

Vanitas sighed as he threw a bag of chips at my head.

"Sometimes when things are offered to you, you should take it Roxas."

I opened the bag and started noming on the chips.

"Yes big sister."

Another bag of chips was thrown at my face.

"Ouch, tough love."

TIME SKIP- 20 minutes later

"You sure you don't want us to drop you off?"

Xion said as she looked at me with that same worried expression.

"It's all good for me you know!"

I chuckled when Xion's big brother Zack yelled that.

"I'm fine really just go on with your lives. Exercise is good you know."

After much more convincing, they finally drove off onto the street. Throughout my life, my parents were always so busy that walking home wasn't a big thing even though it's a few miles away from the school. As I walked down the street with cars passing by, I stared ahead thinking about what I had to do when I get home.

_"I already finished math and biology...not really much to do again." _

I put my hand on my cheek and wasn't worried that my hand was as cold as ice since it was a common thing to me. For some reason, my temperature is always low and even in the summer, my hands are cold to the touch. It doesn't bother me though now that I got used to it cause as long as I don't think about it, I'm fine. When I looked at my hand, I noticed that it was pale.

_"Maybe I should make an attempt to get warm when I get home. _

As time went by, I got closer to my house and got bored staring at the scenery I see everyday. I placed my hand in an okay sign, then put it in my mouth before whistling loud and clear. After a few more minutes of continuous walking, I see a giant puffball running towards me. In a few seconds the puffball known as Chibiterasu stopped as I did, which made me smile.

Chibiterasu was my wolf that I received from my parents on a Christmas when we were a family. I never knew how they got one, but they did and since then, I raised him up to how he is now.

"Hey there Chibiterasu. Do you feel like going to the park today? I don't have much homework to do so we can be there as long as you want. Or at least until it gets too for us to be outside."

With that said, he barked at me happily and ran ahead before stopping to look at me to follow. I walked to him and let him lead the way to the park he loves as much as I do. When we arrived there, he immediately runs around wild and free. Now that I think about it, I never really needed to have a leash on him since he's very loyal.

I sat myself on a swing and slowly pushed myself back and forth while looking up at the sky. Thinking back to the redhead, I smiled at what he said.

_"Huh, I wonder how long I can keep my name from him." _

When I looked back at the grass, I saw Chibiterasu looking at me.

"What do you want a treat? You're gonna need to do more than staring if you want one."

He shook his head then barked while titling his head to the sky I was looking at. Sometimes I wonder if I'm getting crazy since I talk to my wolf.

"Yah I was thinking of this meanie freshie that thought I was one of him."

Chibiterasu titled his head.

"Eh, the incident with him was the only thing that was kinda exciting at school today."

I yawned suddenly already tired and Chibiterasu did the same.

"I guess we'll have to cut our time short today so sorry for lying to you, Chibi. It's also getting kinda cold and I don't want you to catch something out here."

We both walked back to the empty home awaiting us. After I locked the front door and placed my stuff down, I headed to the kitchen. As usual, I found a note on the table from my parents.

_"Pasta is in the fridge, heat it up when you're hungry. -Love Mom and Dad" _

I placed the note back on the counter and looked inside the fridge to see the pasta in a round container. Since I didn't feel that hungry I just grabbed a juice box then closed the door. After that I headed into my room.

In a few minutes I got into more comfortable clothes and just stared up at the ceiling. Boredom, it was such a familiar feeling these days. Or was it a state of being? Who knows. I sat up on the bed and hooked up my game console. For the rest of the night I drowned myself in video games before going to sleep.

TIME SKIP - Next Day

As I walked to school, I noticed that it felt a little colder than it was yesterday. I paid no attention to it though and just headed to my first period class since the bell just rang. When I got to my seat, I noticed that Vanitas wasn't there yet. I looked at my watch and started counting down till the 2nd bell would ring. Slowly I was getting closer to the end and in five seconds, Vanitas barged through the door.

"Five seconds."

My math teacher, Vexen, said and with that Vanitas sprinted to the empty desk in front of me and practically fell onto it a second after the bell rang.

"Nope, you're late."

"What!"

Vanitas was panting like crazy and looked at the teacher in disbelief. Even the TA (teacher assistant) Demyx, was wide eyed from his desperate attempt to be on time.

"He practically fell."

Demyx said and looked at the teacher with sympathy for him. However, the teacher simply shook his head with a blank expression on his face.

"Nope, he wasn't seated in his seat before the bell rang."

Vexen looked down at his desk and marked something on his book which I assume was the attendance one.

"Ahh gosh!"

Vanitas kept breathing heavily from running here and looked at me a bit annoyed.

"This is what I get for trying to be here on time."

I nodded at him after he said that inbetween breaths.

"Mhm and I got here before you."

His lips cracked into a crooked smile and I smiled back. I held up a fist at him and he did the same. We then did our rematch of rock, paper, scissors and in the end, I won once. This left Vanitas both tired and defeated.

While I was heading towards the oak tree, I felt that someone was following me. I kept my calm composure and looked to the side to look at the reflection of the glass window. There, I saw that the person who was behind me was none other than Vanitas.

_"Hmm, wonder what he's up to now." _

I kept going on as if nothing happened then when I saw him getting into a pouncing position, I step to the side to let him fall on the grass where I once was.

"Ouch...that hurt."

He sat up rubbing his face and I stifled a laugh before helping him up.

"Serves you right for trying to pounce me for no reason."

"I did too have a reason and it's a good one too."

"What is it then?"

A moment of silence passed and Vanitas looked like he was thinking hard.

"I'm waiting."

"Oh great I think I forgot after I tried to pounce you."

I made a buzzer sound when you got an answer wrong on a game show.

"Not a good enough excuse."

He shrugged at me then looked like he had an epiphany.

"I remember! Pouncing you was revenge. However, it seems that I failed my mission."

"It appears so general. Make sure to get pasta for me alright?"

"As you wish your majesty."

We both chuckled then went our separate ways. When I finally arrived at the usual place, I saw that Yuufie and Xion was there with someone with blue hair whom I haven't seen before.

"Halo, where's everyone?"

I placed my backpack down and sat in one spot across from Xion.

"Where's everyone?"  
"Demyx is getting lunch. Marly and Zexy are at a meeting."

I nodded at the ninja that answered my question and ate my favorite oatmeal cookie while looking at the mysterious girl. After a while, Xion noticed my curious look and introduced her.

"Oh Roxas, this is Aqua, she's a junior in my art class."

When Aqua looked at me she had a shocked look on her face. I blinked at the reaction but shrugged it off.

"Nice to meet you."

Her expression became normal again.

"Likewise, I'm sorry you just look so much like someone I know."

I titled my head to the side now interested.

"I look like someone you know?"

"Very much. Terra and I would have mistaken you as him without a second thought."

"Huh, how peculiar. Now I'm curious to find this look alike me."

She looked down with a sad expression and Xion placed a hand on her shoulder.

"That's impossible now since he passed away a decade ago."

I blinked and immediately regret saying what I did.

"I-"

"No it's alright really. I hope we'll be great friends Roxas."

"Same here. May I ask who Terra is though?"

"Oh, he's a friend of mine in the same year who was a close friend of Ventas."

I nodded.

"Hmm, Ventus. So that's my twin's name?"

"Yes. Anyhow, if you would like to meet him, I can always set up a day."

"Sounds like a plan."


	3. Chapter 3

When lunch was over I waved goodbye to everyone and then went to my fourth period which was gym. It was really annoying that I had to exercise after eating. Isn't that an unhealthy thing? I sighed and quickly changed into my gym clothes in the locker room before going outside.

"Hey their blondie!"

I turned my head to the side and saw Demyx waving cheerfully at me while Marluxia followed him from behind.

"Guess what? We're going inside the gym and playing dodge ball against the freshmans!"

Demyx smiled widely when said that and I chuckled at his enthusiasm.

"It's a good thing too since you look like you're going to freeze to death."

"I think I already am. Please lend me your jacket Roxy!"

I sighed and just left Demyx be as he tugs at my jacket desperately.

"By the way, did Micky's class challenge us again?"

"No, apparently it's Ansem's class this time. He wants to show us sophomores that his freshmen aren't to be messed with."

I sighed when I thought how unfortunate the freshmen were in having Ansem as their teacher. He's both bipolar and a dictator towards his classes. I was fortunate enough to have Micky as my teacher when I was a freshmen. He made us exercise but was usually nice enough to let us have a free period in the gym.

"You know, I think the freshmen this year are so competitive. I mean really, remember the soccer game last month? Most of the guys tried to trample over our weak allies or injure the good players."

They both nodded at me.

"Well, every year is different right?"

I shrugged then went in roll call order when my teacher finally got there. After explaining what we were doing and the rules to dodge ball, we all went into the gym.

"Warmth!"

Demyx ran around while regaining some color to his face. As this happened, Marly and I stood on one side of the gym as the freshmen came in.

"So, are you actually going to try and participate today Marly? Or are you gonna go run off with Kairi to talk about the latest Korean drama."

"Nah I think I'm gonna try this time if one of the freshmen gets on my nerve. There's no good drama out their so far so it's no use to talking about that."

I chuckled and looked at our opponents as Demyx hid behind me by instinct. What shocked me was that Axel was on the other side with all the other freshmen.

"What the."

When he noticed I was there he waved at me with a big smile on my face.

"Hi there blondie!"

My eye twitched at that nickname. I now had the urge to participate in the game just to wipe that smile off his face. For some reason, it annoyed me that he was in the same period of gym as I was.

"Looks like you got a friend on the other side Roxas."

I shrugged as Demyx suddenly asked.

"Who?"

Marly pointed at the tall red head and he smiled.

"Oh Axel? Wow must be nice then. He's a pretty famous freshmen since most people know him."

I didn't listen to what Demyx said but just yawned in boredom. The lack of energy made me decide that I wasn't going to participate in dodge ball after all.

"Marly do me a favor and aim for the red head."

"I'll see what I can do."

The whistle blew and many students scrambled to the middle of the gym to get the ball lying around their. I just stepped back and watched the battle while dodging incoming attacks. Thing I like about this game is the small thrill of trying not to get hit by rubber balls coming in at top speed. The bad thing about this is that I was usually the last one alive and that would force me to participate.

One of the balls flew right by my head and hit the gym wall with a loud thud, making the girls in my class scream in horror. At this time, Demyx was either running around saying hi to everyone or hiding behind them if a ball suddenly gets near his face. Marly on the other hand was actually playing. On the other side, Axel actually had some skills since he got some of our good players out.

I noticed one of the freshmen aiming at the girls now and I sighed at how clueless they were to what was going to happen. With a quick jump, I landed in front of a girl and surprisingly caught the ball in my hands. I smiled at my victory then felt someone hug me from behind.

"Thank you so much! You're my hero!"

The girl behind me said and I sighed while throwing the ball at Marly.

"No problem."

I turned around and unhooked her arms then went back to my spot. Before I was able to get there, I heard someone say my name. I turned my head to the side then everything went black.

TIME SKIP-AFTERNOON

I opened my eyes then groaned when I felt a throbbing pain in the back of my head. When I sat up, I gently touched the area where it hurts and felt a lump there. A sigh left my lips and I tried recollecting what happened before I blacked out.

_"Grr, if I find out which stupid freshman knocked me out he's gonna get it." _

After letting out another sigh, I looked around to see that I'm in the nurse's office with no one in sight. I was still in my gym clothes so I didn't have any of my stuff with me. My eyes set on an ice pack on the table next to me and I picked it up before putting it on the lump on my head. It felt tingly at first but then soothed the throbbing a bit.

When I was about to get off the bed, I hear a door open and footsteps. In a few moments I see a tall boy with brown hair spiked a little in the middle. His hair style seemed somewhat unique to me considering how most boys are going with the different styles nowadays.

He looked at me in somewhat shock while I looked at him a bit confused. His eyes seem to stare right into mine looking for something.

"Um..Hi there."

I said to him and he blinked a few times as if he got out of a trance.

"Oh yeah hi."

He sat on the bed across from mine and looked at me again but with a smile now.

"Sorry, you just remind me of someone close to me."

I tilted my head at this remembering someone say something like that to me earlier.

_"Could he be.." _

"By any chance, are you Terra?"

His eyes widen slightly and I waved my hand at him.

"A girl name Aqua said the same thing to me about an hour ago and told me about you."

"What exactly did she say about me?"

"She said you're a manga lover that has every single volume of the mainstream anime."

I bit my tongue to keep a straight face and from laughing when I see his facial expression turned into one of confusion and irritation. When he started to notice my lip crack he looked at me suspiciously which made me lose control.

"Pfft, I'm kidding. Gosh, your face looks so funny right now. I can even imagine a angry mark on the side of your head or something while steam comes out of your ears."

His left eye twitched slightly then he pouted at me for a second before smiling.

"Besides your face and voice, you really are like him you know that?"

This made me wonder more of who this Ventas person was.

"Is that a good thing?"

He responded with a small shrug but kept smiling at me.

"Anyway, let me introduce myself before we go any furthur. My name is Roxas Strife."

I held out my free hand to him and he took it in his own to shake it.

"It's nice to meet your Roxas, my name is Terra as you already know from a little bird."

"I hope we become great friends."

"Likewise."

We both smiled at each other and I shifted my position a little to get more comfortable.

"If I might ask, why are you here?"

"What, you don't want me here?"

Terra pouted at me and I chuckled a little at how he looked like a kicked puppy.

"That's not it, I mean like. Shouldn't you be in class?"

"I'm the teacher assisstent for Ansem's class and I was told to watch over you since the nurse is out sick today."

"How ironic."

"Haha I know right? Anyway, I was out for a while to get your stuff from your locker."

He handed me my backpack which I didn't notice until now. I took it from him and searched for a snack. When I found it, I placed the pack of ice down to open the bag before putting the ice pack where it belong. The junior in front of me stared at me in disbelief so I offered some to him. A chuckle emanated from his mouth as he took one chip before eating it.

"Sankyu kind sir for getting my stuff."

I patted his head then ate one chip.

"You're welcome, Roxas."

"By the way, what time is it?"

"Close to 2:00, why?"

I took out my deck of cards and waved it around so that he would notice it.

"I don't feel like going to class so would you like to play a game of egyptian war with me till school ends?"

He smiled in response.

"Alright, but I won't go easy on you just because you're injured."

I gave him the deck to shuffle.

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

As he passed out the cards, he asked me.

"How's your head? Does it still hurt?"

"Nah, it's alright since it's feeling numb from the ice."

I placed the ice by my side then touched the lump slightly wincing.

"It only hurts when I touch it I guess."

He grab a hold of his deck while I did to mine.

"That's good to hear. Are you ready?"

"Born ready."

_15 minutes later... _

Slap.

"I win."

I smiled at his shocked expression as I took what little cards he had left from this game.

"So what's the score again? Five to nothing in fifteen minutes?"

He rolled up his sleeves at this and then continued shuffling the deck.

"I'm going to beat you before school ends."

"Whatever you say."


	4. Chapter 4

When the bell rang to signal the end of the school day, I slapped my hands down on the table where two piles of messy cards lay.

"Speed."

I smiled in victory once again as the junior in front of me got even more irritated from another lost.

"Maybe next time, Terra."

He shrugged a bit at me while we gathered the cards together and packed up to leave. As we both left the office, I was immediately glomped from behind which made me fall to the ground with a hard thud. I groaned a bit from the new found pain then felt the weight on my back lifted.

"Oh my, sorry about that Roxas, I didn't mean to tackle you that hard."

"Hey dude, are you alright?"

I heard Zack say last and I mumbled something while waving my hand to the side to show that I was alright. When I catched my breath, I was lifted up from the ground then onto my feet by Terra.

"Thanks Terra."

Terra ruffled my hair a bit.

"No problem Roxy."

I blinked at the nickname then looked at him a bit irked. He noticed my annoyance and chuckled a bit.

"What? Doesn't Roxy sound cute?"

I answered with a short 'Meh.'

"Now don't be like that."

Zack and Terra chuckled at my pout. Before I could react, the raven haired man put me in a headlock that I couldn't break free from with sheer force.

"Where's my hi, shorty? You're acting so cold to me nowadays and it's breaking my heart."

Zack gave me a nuggie as I struggle to get out of his vice like grip. I knew I wasn't going to be able to break free because of his strength but I still tried my best. Even after that, he still held on to me while Xion and Terra just laughed at my predicament.

"Such wonderful friends you are. Your help is oh so very helpful."

Terra chuckled at me while Xion went over to mess up my hair since I wasn't going to be able to stop her. I felt Zack lift me up while I was still in a headlock so that we could move over to the usual spot.

"Gosh, where is Vanitas? I need to get back home so I could start on my homework."

"Right 'homework'. I'm guessing you're referring to your manga, brawl or whatnot."

Xion shrugged and gave me a secret smile which meant that I was right. After another attempt, I sighed and gave up for the moment to rest and rethink my strategy. I could just feel Zack grinning behind me from his victory.

"Terra, would you please help me?"

"Sorry, no can do Roxas. I can't interfere if it's Zack."

I pouted then looked at Zack who stuck his tongue out at me.

"Zack what will it take for you to let go of me? I'm starting to suffocate right now."

He looked at me and said as if it was the most common thing in the world.

"Just say 'hi'."

I blinked.

"Hi."

"Oh hi to you too Roxas."

He smiled brightly at me then finally let me have my space. I stared at him with my mouth a bit gaped.

_"That's all it took?" _

Zack nodded at me as if reading my mind. I felt my eye twitch and I had the urge to just strangle him but I knew that it was no use.

"Anyways, I have to get going now. See ya guys later."

Terra waved at us all then walked out of sight with us waving back at him. After a while, I heard someone yelling from across the hall. I could only smile of who the person could be.

"Hey Vanitas!"

I yelled back at him as he walked toward us with a smirk and a large sack in his hands. The fact that he had a bag meant that he was planning something and because of that, I was slightly afraid at what devious little scheme he had in his head.

"Okay, what are you planning now you devil."

He chuckled and waved his hand at me as a response which made me sigh once more. The smirk he had was gone when Xion slapped his head.

"Where have you been you idiot! It's been half an hour since we waited for you and I need to get to my tournament now."

"Aha! I knew it!"

I pointed my finger at her when she said that and Xion just stuck her tongue out at me.

_"Huh, I guess doing that is a family thing." _

"Yah yah, so sorry. I needed to get a few stuf-"

"For his upcoming scheme."

I cut in and he punched my shoulder in response.

"We can go now if ya want."

Xion looked at him with a slight glare then just shrugged it off as she grabbed her stuff.

"I guess I'll see ya guys around then."

I said while smiling at them but they weren't leaving as I thought they would. Vanitas looked at Zack with the same smirk he had earlier. In return, the raven haired male grinned wildly. At the moment, I felt like I should break into a run but I was pretty sure what the outcome would be. Even with that known, I tried to run but I was easily tackled to the grass by Vanitas.

"Hey!"

"Grab his stuff Xion!"

Said girl took my bag that was laying near the tree while Vanitas picked me up bridal style. I ignored the embarrassing position I was in and struggled once again in a vice like grip.

_"Why is it that these things happen to me?" _

As I continued to thrash around, I was brought over to Zacks car then thrown into the back seat while Vanitas came in next. Before I was able to get out through the other door, it was locked.

"Open this door now!"

"No can do shorty."

I growled then tried in vain, to open the door. When Xion got in the passenger seat, we zoomed out of the school parking lot and into a somewhat busy street.

"What are you guys doing?!"

"Kidnaping you of course."

Vanitas said with a smirk while Xion looked back at me with a small sympathetic smile.

"Oh don't tell me you were in on this too, Xion."

"Not at all actually, but it's not that bad right? It's the weekends! You're parents will understand that your gonna have a sleepover with your friends against your will."

"A sleepover? You're telling me I'm gonna stay over at your house all weekend?"

She shrugged.

"I guess so, but that's for these two idiots to decide. I'm gonna be at a friend's house for a weekend tournament."

I sighed and rubbed my temples to soothe my stress.

"But what about Chibiterasu? I need to feed him."

Vanitas held a thumbs up at me and I just figured that he had that covered.

"I'm guessing you already have your family's consent, Zack?"

"There out of town since last week so I wasn't able to ask them cause this was a last minute thing. If I asked though I'm pretty sure they'll be cool with it as long as we don't get arrested by the cops."

I put on my seatbelt and tried to relax while I had an annoyed expression on my face.

"Oh now don't be like that. You'll have fun, I promise. Oh these are the homework for the last few classes you missed. I manage to get them from Marly and Dem."

Vanitas handed me the homework and I smiled a bit at how considerate he was at times. Really, I could count on him to be there like the brother I never had. When we came to the front of someone's house, we bid Xion farewell then drove to Zack's house which wasn't far away.

As soon as we got inside, we made ourselves comfortable in the game room which was a relaxing area. When I got there though, I was immediately greeted by a white puffball that I know and love.

"Hey there boy."

I kneeled down to stroke his fur and scratch behind his ears.

"I got some dog food if he gets hungry."

"Thanks Vanitas."

"No problem dude. You're my bro, so it's no big deal."

I gave him a sincere smile then sat down on a bean cushion which was known as 'my seat' with Chibiterasu by my side before starting my homework. In the meantime, Zack checked up on the others who are coming to the sleepover.

"So who's coming to the sleepover again?"

"I rather call it a 'guys night out' but I think Hayner, Marly, Dem, Vincent are comming. Also some other bunches of other people I should be aware about but isn't should be here too. By the way, since Xion isn't here, can you help me on this probability problem?"

"Oh hell no. I hate those questions. Ask Zack cause I am done with those stuff."

He shook his head while his yellow, alluring eyes looked at me disapprovingly. I threw a pillow at his head but he still made that face which made me chuckle a little.

"Fine, I'll help you."

"Yay!"

TIME SKIP- 20 minutes later

"Roxy~ I still don't get it!"

I sighed for the umpteenth as I finished off the last problem of my homework.

"Oh my gosh. ZACK! GET BACK IN HERE ALREADY SO YOU COULD HELP VANITAS ALREADY! I'M GONNA GO INSANE IF HE KEEPS THIS UP!"

I yelled wondering where the raven haired man could be.

"What's taking him so long anyway?"

Vanitas shrugged at me and left to check. I packed up all my school stuff then laid it beside my seat before going over to check the probability problem again. When I looked over at his agenda, my eye twitched at what I saw.

"Zack's making food and stuff so that's why he's taking so long."

He sat down next to me as I looked at him irritated.

"Vanitas."

"Yes my love?"

I smack him in the head for that then continued.

"Your homework is page 121 numbers 4 through 30 evens."

He nodded at me and I held up the book to his face.

"The probability problem you showed me is number 2 first off and is in the next chapter on page 125."

This made him blink and check both the book then agenda before groaning loudly while messing up his own hair. I patted his shoulder as Zack came in putting a plate of pizza and other junk food on the coffee table.

"I have to go pick up some people, so please try not to destroy the house while I'm gone alright? Also, if the door bell rings, please get it, cause the others are carpooling together."

We both nodded at him then said at the same time.

"We'll try."

Zack left the room again then as soon as we heard the garage door open and close, I started up the wii system.

"Wanna brawl?"

"Nah, I really need to finish my math homework first then I'll beat you to a pulp."

"Haha, alright. Does Zack have wifi?"

"I think so."

"Alright."

TIME SKIP- 10 minutes later

A small sigh left my lips as I stared at the tv screen which showed my character taunting my opponent that just lost a life. People these days online can be so so nice or so so mean. The person I was facing at the moment kept using this one move multiple times which irked me to no end.

"That's it."

Without a second to lose, I brought my character's sword up then did a few combos before sending him flying with a quick smash attack. A voice in the game said "Game" and I slightly frowned at how easy this battle was compared to the last one. Vanitas clapped his hands at my win and I chuckled a bit as I felt Chibiterasu rub his nose against my arm then rest his paws on my legs.

When the bell rang, I looked at Vanitas as he did to me before we both battled in rock paper scissors. In the end he lost which made him sigh.

"I'll get it."

I smiled as I entered the stage now as sheik then focused my attention on the electric mouse, pikachu. For some reason, I never really liked pikachu cause he seems kinda week although it is loved by many girls because of its cuteness. To me, pikachu isn't really a super awesome pokemon compared to an amphardos in the game. But that's just my opinion, so just for the sake of not getting bombarded by disagreements, I keep this to myself most of the time.

Now that I think of it, some people can't tell if sheik is a guy or girl. Based on appearance and voice, people assume another person's gender when it could be deceiving. For example, both kirby and tweetie, appear to be a girl but in reality, they are a boy. Same thing with blue's clues, apparently, blue is a girl when most would think he's a boy. As I continued playing, I hear footsteps approach the room and someone chuckled.

"Why am I not surprised that you're playing brawl?"

"Would you rather I play cards and beat you Zexion?"

I turned my head to him and smiled as he, Demyx, Hayner and Marluxia sat down. This is gonna be one fun night.


	5. Chapter 5

"So what should we do now?"

Everyone looked at each other as we took a break from our video game fun. As soon as I heard Chibiterasu bark like a dog, we heard the front door being opened.

"Hey guys I'm back! It's so good to see that my house is still standing!"

I knuckle touched with Vanitas as we both had a smirk on our face from 'cleaning up' his room.

"You owe me one, Vanitas."

"Of course, love."

At the sound of footsteps, Zack came in with a large smile on his face along with other people trailing behind him.

"Hey guys Now the party can really start."

"Oh cool, whose wolf is this?"

A tall guy with brown hair asked as he motioned his hand forward for Chibiterasu to come closer to him. At first Chibiterasu just looked at his hand then sniffed it. Once he did that, he jumped on him to lick his face.

"Mine."

I raised my hand to get his attention before he came over while trying to get Chibiterasu off of him.

"We'll you're one lucky guy. He seems more playful and less savage then the one Yuffie has."

"Oh, you mean panda? She's so nice though, and cuddly too."

He sat down on the seat next to me and laughed.

"Well maybe to you but she practically went on full attack mode at the mere sight of me. Name's Squall by the way, and who are you?"

"Roxas."

We briefly shook hands before the door to the room was bursted open once more.

"Yo Sorry I was late dudes, I have to take care of my lil bro so yeah."

A read haired man, which reminded me of Axel's, said.

_"Oh please don't tell me." _

After the first redhead walked in, another one followed and it was none other than Axel. I glanced over at Vanitas and lightly gulped when he gave me a wide smirk from the freshman's arrival. Now I was wondering if I was going to be able to conceal my name forever.

"Hey Reno, you're just in time. We can start the tournament now, and as last time's winner. You get to choose."

"It better not be Mario kart, I'm so sick of that game."

Riku said as he devoured a chip with some dipping sauce.

"It's such a classic though "

"I refuse either way."

"Hmph, wimp."

With that, the redhead was tackled to the ground by Riku as Chibiterasu looked like he was smiling in glee. I felt a shadow loom over me and when I looked over, I saw that it was Axel.

"Hey there blondie, didn't think you were here."

I answered with a short 'meh' as took a sip of my drink. Ah milk tea, it was my coffee.

"Why won't you tell me your name?"

"Simple, I don't wanna."

He pouted and made Squall laugh a bit.

"Could you tell me his name please?"

Axel asked.

"Don't te-"

I felt my mouth being covered by his which made me a bit irked. To my relief, Squall shook his head in dismay.

"I can't do it without the person's consent."

Another pout was formed before he walked off to help his brother, Reno up after wrestling with Riku.

"Seems that since _some _people can't control themselves. We'll have a random person choose what we're gonna do and that person is..."

Zack' eyes scanned the room then he pointed to a certain guy with yellow eyes.

"Vanitas, pick your game."

I protested as soon as he said that.

"I'm not gonna play if _he _is choosing the game."

This made Vanitas smirk which could only mean trouble.

"How about we play truth or dare?"

"What are we, girls?"

Vanitas shrugged shrugged in response.

"It's to spice up the atmosphere if you know what I'm talking about."

Again I shook my head.

"See what I mean? I'm sorry but I'm out for this one. If you need me, then I'll be playing brawl in the corner."

I took a sip of my tea then felt arms wrap themselves around me from behind. My whole body tingled at the cold touch.

"Aw come on love, you know you wanna."

Vanitas's voice tickled my ear and I clenched my fist to calm myself down.

"Alright, since this is America, we'll vote. Who wants to play truth or dare?"

To my dismay, more than half of the people in the room raised there hand. Curse you cruel fate.

"Because of majority, we're playing truth or dare and _everyone _is playin-."

"Sorry I'm late!"

The door opened to reveal Terra to my surprise.

"Not at all my friend, just get ready for the game."

I groaned loudly as we all got ourselves comfortable in a chair or on the floor in the circle. There were thirteen people in the room now, including myself. After a couple of minutes, I spoke out.

"So who should start out?"

"I have an app on my phone for truth or dare."

"Why am I not surprise, Vanitas and really, all of the stuff on there are sexual."

He continued smirking.

"That's the point."

"Just keep it to tradition already."

"Alright love~"

I looked around for a pillow then threw it at his face which he dodged with ease.

"I'll just start out first then, Love dear truth or dare?"

"Dare."

For a minute I knew I would regret it but I was hoping that the small good side of him was still in there.

"I dare you to be known as 'Ventus' for the rest of the day."

He winked at me when he said that and I smiled while celebrating in my head since their was a kind Vanitas. As I rejoiced in my head, I saw Axel scowl.

_"Thanks Vanitas! I wonder how he knows about Ventus though." _

"Just for the record, that's the only time I'm being nice."

Vanitas gave his trade mark look which showed that he was being serious.

TIME SKIP- 15 minutes later

I unconsciously moved closer to Chibiterasu who was by my side still panting in glee. Within the past fifteen minutes, the innocent truths or dares were starting to become more and more intimate than I would want it to be. All of this is because of the work from the man who started the game in the first place.

So far I only suffered Terra tickling me for two minutes straight but who knows what's going to happen next. I was just hoping that I won't be harassed. However, seeing how some of the people here looked ready to pounce someone, that may not be as likely.

"Make sure to protect me Chibiterasu. My innocence is in your paws."

I whispered to my wolf's ear as I rubbed his stomach which made him pant louder.

"Marluxia, truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"If you were the opposite sex for one day, what would you look like and what would you do?"

Reno placed a hand over his mouth to stifle his laugh, causing Marluxia to throw a cookie at him and effectively making him stop.

"Hey! No throwing unless you're gonna clean it."

Marluxia sighed.

"Well I'm guessing I'll look like...this but with more girly features and I would go bowling?"

I blinked as Reno asked.

"Why bowling when you could do that as a guy?"

"I'm not perverted 24/7 like France you know."

"France?"

"A character from an anime called Hetalia."

"Forgive me my friend."

"You are forgiven child."

Reno made a face that showed mocked hurt.

"I'm older than you for your information."

"And yet, you still act like a child. Axel truth or dare?"

He smirked and answered confidently.

"Dare."

"I dare you to switch clothes and personality with your brother."

The two redheads looked at each other then left the room to change.

"Great how are we suppose to continue the game now? With Reno, he's probably gonna take forever to get his hair to look like Axel's."

Riku said with a sigh and I intervened.

"Can we just moved to a different game like twister or something?"

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea actually."

When Zack said that, I smiled and hoped that the others would agree as well.

"Are you fine with that Vanitas?"

He shrugged.

"Well if it's for my love then of course."

Another pillow was sent to his direction.

"I told you to stop calling me that!"

He stuck his tongue out at my as Riku and Demyx set up the game of twister. When they were finished, I gaped at how big the playing field was.

"Since there's a lot of people, we decided to expand the area."

"I think I'm going to sit out this one."

Zexion sat down on the couch probably to read his book. Before he could start, he was immediately pulled back by Demyx who hooked his arm around his to keep him close.

"Come on, it'll be fun Zexy~"

As soon as he said that nickname, I saw Zexion turn his head away. I smiled widely when I saw a tint of red on his face.

"No."

"Aww, at least do it for me."

A deeper blush was evident on his face so he tried to hide it with his long bangs. After he nodded, it looks like Riku was going to be the one that says the color we have to put our foot or hand on.

"Maybe we should split the group up cause I still feel like playing truth or dare."

Hayner said with his hand a bit raised. A few people like Vincent, Reno when he came in looking a lot like Axel in my opinion, Squall, Terra and Marluxia nodded at the idea. They all decided to continue the game leaving, Zexion, Demyx, Zack, Vanitas Axel and myself to play twister.

"Everyone ready? Play nice now."

"No promises on that."

I smiled a little as I wondered how to avoid things getting a bit awkward. There were still seven people playing, including myself. That already spelled disaster.

"Let's get this show on the road people!"

Axel said with a big smile and a few claps as he looked eager to start playing.

"Let the games begin, and 'may the odds be ever in your favor'."

I heard Vanitas said with a smirk.

"Left foot green, right hand blue, right foot yello-"

"I'm taking over. You're gonna end up making them fail on the first few seconds."

Zexion quickly took the spinner from Riku and pushed him to the area where they were playing truth or dare. Surprisingly he didn't look angry but just shrugged it off as he joined the other group. Demyx pouted at the fact that Zexion wasn't playing but he just ignored the stare by focusing on the spinning device.

"Right hand yellow."

I saw Demyx pick the circle closest to Zexion and continued to pout at him with all his might. However, he was still ignored.

"Left foot blue."

Even after almost ten minutes, it seems that Demyx wasn't going to take his eyes off of Zexion. This made him sigh and before he spun the spinner again, he kissed Demyx on the cheek then called out the next instruction. Demyx at this point was shocked and ended up falling to the ground. This caused him to be the first one out.

So far,everything was good on the fact that we weren't in a pretzel shape. Vanitas and Zack on the other hand were head to head in trying to get the other out. I chuckled at this as I started to try cutting off the closest places Axel could put his feet or hand at. He noticed this and started to do the same to me but was a tad bit too short in speed. At one point of time, I was almost doing the splits but from past games of rock, paper, splits, I manage to survive.

_Note: Rock Paper Splits is a fun game played by two people. Both people first have there right foot forward with there tip touching each other's. The other foot is behind the right foot and the game starts from there. _

_You play a normal game of rock paper scissors and whoever wins gets to put there foot that's forward (the right foot) behind the other foot. (The left one) The other person has to then put there foot that's in front of them forward to touch the other person's foot like in the beginning of the game. _

_Remember to keep the foot that's at the very back or the one behind the tip in place if you lose the game of rock paper scissors. So if the person keeps losing the have to stretch there legs and soon have to maybe do the splits. Very good practice. Whoever can't put there foot in front of them to touch the other's tip then they lose. _

With the next instruction, I almost fell from the sudden shift but I caught myself at the last minute. I reached over to the green circle with my hand but was only an inch away. A small groan left my lips as I desperately tried to fulfill the task.

Zack kindly pushed my hand down gently onto the circle so I mouthed him a thank you. He nodded at me then went back to his original position. The game went on with everyone still surviving to my surprise but they were all being very stubborn so I shouldn't be surprised.

"So how are you Axel?"

"Hmm, I'm good actually, you?"

I moved my left foot to yellow then sighed as my arms started to get tired.

"Alright and a bit tired."

"I'm guessing Ventus isn't your real name?"

"It technically is at the moment because of the dare but besides that nope it's not."

"Will you ever tell me your name?"

"I'm just trying to see how long I can keep my name from you."

He sighed in response. I looked around for a blue circle close by but before I was able to move my foot, I felt someone poke my side. Being how I was ticklish there, my body flinched and I yelped as I fell on the floor from the lack of balance. In the process, I knocked Axel's foot to the ground and made him fall too. I looked around to see Terra kneeling down next to me.

"Sorry about that, Reno dared me to do that again."

I waved my hand saying it's okay as I rolled off of the playing mat. Although I wished I could have avoided defeat, I was glad that I didn't end up last.

"Hey Axel are you ticklish?"

"Maybe."

I looked at him suspiciously then smiled.

"Chibiterasu, attack."

His eyes widen in a split second before a white furball tackled him to the ground. Chibiterasu looked down at him and then licked his face all over continuously. I sipped a bit more of my milk tea as the redhead started to struggle even more.

"Ahaha hey! Someone help me!"

"He's good. Just go back to your business people."

Everyone seemed to trust my words and focus on what they were doing. I smirked at Axel's predicament then called Demyx and Zexion over to play against me in Mario Kart. While we were picking our characters, I looked at Axel then smiled when he looked back at me.

"I win this round freshman."

I sat back and relaxed as the race was about to begin. For some reason, Demyx wanted the track to start out on Rainbow Road so for the next few minutes, I heard Zexion getting frustrated from falling off the edge. I wasn't doing any better since the computers kept bumping me out of the track.

Really, there was something wrong with computers sometimes being difficult to beat even when they were on easy. When I saw that Zexion was about to finish his first lap, I threw a red shell at him. Although this was only to stun him, his cart was close enough on the edge to make him fall once more.

"You're cruel Roxas you know that?"

"Hey what happened just now wasn't a part of my plan."

He shook his head in more frustration as he starts his second lap. Demyx already came in 1st so he looked like he was pitying Zexion for being in last. I on the other hand was fourth to last and trying to knock peach out of the road. By a split second, I missed and ended up falling to my doom.

"Sigh."

"Quick Zexy! Finish the race as I distract Roxy so you won't be last!"

I blinked at what was said then yelped when I felt myself being tackled to the ground.

"Hey Demyx! Quit it!"

He knocked the controller out of my hand and started hugging me to death. Zexion on the other hand paid no attention to this as he concentrates on the game.

"C-can't breath!"

I flailed my arms and noticed that Axel was no longer being licked by Chibiterasu. The redhead looked down at me with a smile then messed up my hair a bunch.

"Ha! I win now!"

He quickly fled to the group playing truth or dare and I tried pushing Demyx's arms away from my waist.

"Release Demyx! Release!"

I groaned at how he wasn't budging then tickled his side. His grip slacked and I silently made my way back to Axel to mess up his hair. I instantly ran back to where Demyx was but continued running when the freshie was actually chasing me.

"Get back here!"

"Never!"

I jumped over Vanitas and Zack who were still playing Twister then stopped when I heard a loud thud. When I looked behind me, I saw that they were all on the ground groaning since Axel ran into the duo.

"Ugh you're dead now freshie."

Vanitas's glare looked menacing and I could feel his dark aura from where I was. I saw Axel's form flinch before he scrambled onto his feet with some difficulties. He ran towards me and then used me as his shield as his hands tightly gripped my shoulders.

"Coward."

Vanitas frowned when he noticed that I was in the way.

"I guess there's only one thing to do."

I looked at the guy in front of me and hoped he wasn't planning anything dangerous.

"Dog Pile!"

My eyes widen as Vanitas leapt at me and knocked us both to the ground. I groaned at the weight on me and hoped there was no significant damage. As I wiggled myself half way from the pile, everyone else decided it was a grand idea to jump in.

With my legs still under Axel's back, I tried clawing my way out but it did me no good. To my surprise, Zexion was still playing mario kart and this made me laugh. Chibiterasu made his way over to me and licked my cheek. Yes, this was a fun night.


	6. Chapter 6

The Next Day

I turned over my body over to the side then adjusted the position I was in. When I momentarily opened my eyes, I froze when I noticed that I wasn't in my room. I quickly sat up on the bed, then looked around. It took me a few seconds to remember that Vanitas kidnapped me and I was sleeping over at his house. That's when it hit me. I haven't told my parents that I was sleeping over at a friends house.

In my mind, I was hopping that Vanitas was smart enough to tell my parents but I could only hope as I dug my hand into my jean pocket. When I looked at my phone, it had many missed calls and a voicemail. I checked my voicemail first then slightly winced at how loud my dad was talking on the phone. A few moments later, my mom's soft voice came in asking me where I was. After they hung up, I quickly dialed my mom's number. After one ring, she picked up.

"Hello?"

"Mom it's me."

In the background, I could hear her call my father before she talked again. I looked around the room and saw my stuff and Chibiterasu sleeping soundly by the bed.

"Where are you honey?"

"At a friend's house. I'm sleeping over apparently."

"Now why didn't you te-"

She was cut off mid sentence and I guessed that my dad got a hold of the phone now.

"Where are you mister."

His stern voice made me wish that I texted them instead. I sighed andd then saw that Chibiterasu was awake.

"Zack's place. I didn't know I was going to be here hones-"

"Get back home now."

I let out a soft sigh and tried to keep calm.

"Why should I when no one is going to be there?"

"Don't talk back to me now young man. Do you know how worried your mother and I was? She couldn't sleep at all last night because of you!"

I clenched my fist a little.

"Look I'm sorry for not telling you bu-"

"Just get one of your friends to drop you off before I go over there."

"Dad would you at least liste-"

I was cut off once again.

"Now Roxas, before I get even more angry."

The grip on my phone tightened a little.

"Fine."

I hung up the phone then got out of bed before straightening it up. Chibiterasu rubbed his head against my leg and I lightly petted his head. When he looked content, I grabbed my stuff then headed downstairs. To my luck, Zack was already awake cooking breakfast.

"Hey there kiddo, fun night wasn't it?"

I forced out a smile and nodded.

"Zack, is it alright if you can drop me off home now."

He stopped at what he was doing and looked at me.

"Are you sure? Van said you'd be with us for the whole weekend."

I shook my head.

"I need to get back home so sorry."

"At least stay for breakfast."

He pouted at me and I stared at the plate of eggs he pushed to me. It was smiling at me but I felt that it was mocking me. Again, I shook my head.

"I really need to go Zack."

"But-"

"Please."

I stressed out the last word so he took the hint.

"Alright then, let's go kid."

He turned off the stove and left a note on the table before going to the garage. The car ride back home was a bit quiet, but Zack tried to strike a conversation once and a while.

"Should I ask?"

"I'd rather you not and also, please tell Vanitas that I had some stuff to do. He doesn't need to be worried about me."

"You sure?"

"Positive."

We soon arrived at my house and I saw that my parent's cars were in the driveway for once.

"Thanks Zack, I'll see you later."

"Bye Roxas, have a great weekend."

We both waved at each other then I slowly made my way into the house with Chibiterasu by my side. When I got inside, my mom and dad were in front of me.

"Oh Roxas, good thing you're okay "

My mom ran over to me and pulled me into an embrace while my dad kept an irritated look on his face.

"Tifa, take Chibiterasu out for a bath, it looks like he needs one."

She looked back at my dad then nodded. Before she took Chibiterasu with her, she kissed my forehead and gave me a soft smile. However, this did nothing to soothe me as my father and I stood face to face.

TIME SKIP

I gazed down at the carpet and stayed like that for a while even after I heard the front door close. My fists tightened a bit but then I slackened them as I calmed my breathing to a steady pace. Not only was my phone taken away, but all access to internet, tv, and my video games were confiscated.

It wasn't fair. Every single time I slipped up once, my punishment was harsh. Why couldn't my dad just trust me and be less strict like my mom? How could he do this to his only son? As soon as I felt less likely to rage, I stood up and went to my room. There, I changed into some comfortable shorts and T-shirt I found in my closet before going to the bathroom.

When I looked in the mirror, I put some water on a towel then lightly dab the red mark on my cheek. It's been a while since I've seen my dad like this and actually use some physical contact. He must have been angrier than I thought since he literally tried to knock some sense into me. After a while, the redness faded a little and it didn't look like it was going to swell now.

I placed the towel on the rack then went back downstairs to find something to eat. Along the way, I looked at the window facing the backyard and saw Chibiterasu staring at me behind the patio door. A small smile came on my lips when he turned to my direction and jumped up. In a few minutes, I stood in front of the patio door and chuckled at how soaked he was. He held up his paw on the patio door and whined loudly at me.

When I shook my head, I heard him whine even louder with big puppy dog eyes. I sighed a bit then laid out a few towels on the floor from the laundry room then let him in. Before he was able to go any further then the towels, I dried his fur as much as I could then closed the patio door. He smelled like green apples right now and I'm guessing it's from the new shampoo.

Before I was able to get some food from the fridge, I heard him bark at me. I looked at him then saw that he had a tennis ball in his mouth. This made me smile at how playful he was being so early in the morning. I took the tennis ball, then threw it at an angle from the wall so that it would go father into the living room.

At that point, I didn't feel so hungry so I decided to just sit on the couch before Chibiterasu came back with the ball. Although he was a wolf, he acted like a dog and reminded me of a husky from time to time. I repeated the motion of throwing the ball to entertain both myself and my white furball for the time being.

_Ding-Dong _

Our eyes drifted to the direction of the front door then to each other. Looking around, I spotted a hidden area in the ceiling corner. I went over to that area then cracked my knuckles and smiled when I heard a satisfyingly loud sound along with it.

"Here we go."

I placed my hands on the wall then pushed myself up on it with the support of my legs. At first I just slid back down but after some persistence I'm now hiding in a corner like a ninja. A small chuckle left my lips at how childish I was being but I felt like I needed it. I wished I could have been able to take a picture of myself here to show my awesomeness.

"Roxas!"

I sighed when I heard Vanitas's muffled voice behind the front door and shook my head in somewhat disbelief. However, since this was Vanitas then there was always the possibilities. This made me wonder if Zack leaked some info to him when he went back to his house after all.

"Oi! Open up you lazy butt!"

_"Speak for yourself."_

Chibiterasu walked out of my view as I stayed content on where I was at the moment. A few seconds later, I heard a click before a door was slammed open.

"Where are you, you little brat!?"

The tone he used sounded annoyed, but I'm guessing it was because the time of day was still early. I quietly moved deeper into the corner not really wanting to deal with him while I was feeling on the edge.

"Sorry for the intrusion."

Zack's voice entered after his and I could imagine him sigh at Vanitas's behavior. His tall lean figure came into my view along with a shorter one as Chibiterasu followed them. I hear a long groan before the annoyed voice continued on.

"Seriously, where is that guy? If Chibi's here then he should as well."

Vanitas made his way up the stairs as Zack went into the kitchen. My loyal wolf stayed where he was then looked at my direction. I shook my head at him and made an 'X' sign out of my fingers while mouthing for him not to give away my hiding space. Although most people wouldn't think that he wouldn't understand me, dogs are far more intelligent than we give them credit for.

Once I hear banging coming from upstairs I silently hoped that he wasn't going around destroying the place just to find me. I heard footsteps on the stairs before the voices continued.

"Hey Van please calm down."

"I am calm!"

I facepalmed then continued listening to their conversation.

"Come on now, I'm sure Roxas is fine."

"Then why'd he leave so early?"

There was a slight pause before he continued.

"Maybe he had important business to attend to."

"Well he could at least told us before he left. I thought he was just trying to escape our bonding time."

_"More or less Vanitas, more or less." _

"Since he isn't here I guess we'll head back to your place. Sorry for overreacting."

"It's alright Van."

There was a moment of silence after Zack said that so I peeked out of my corner and froze at what I saw. The two of them were engaged in a very...heated kiss as Vanitas was trying to be dominant against Zack. At that moment, I could probably tell I was blushing since my face felt warmer than usual. I blinked once then twice before squeezing myself into the corner trying to get the image out of my head.

_Thud _

_"Oh please tell me they aren't going to do it in my house." _

I pressed my hands together in a silent prayer while ignoring the sounds coming from the duo below. My heart sank when I heard clothes rustling and zippers coming undone.

"Ready for round four soldier?"

My eyes widen at what I heard Vanitas said.

_"Oh gosh these two did it last night while I was asleep?! Thank god I was able to sleep through it." _

I wanted to slam my head against the wall but that would do me no good. When I turned my gaze back to the living room area I saw that Chibiterasu was walking up the stairs then disappeared into the second floor.

This made me sigh quietly and I wonder how long I was going to be able to endure this position. My legs were starting to cramp since I had to use some energy to stay up here. The palms of my hands were also beginning to sweat so I also didn't have a good grip on the wall.

"V-van, we shouldn't..."

"Shhh, is alright don't worry about it."

My mind was pondering whether or not I should yell at these two perverts but then again what choice do I have. Before I could think about anything else, I tried to reposition myself more comfortably but my heart skipped a beat when my hand slipped.


	7. Chapter 7

_Thud_

"Owww."

I rubbed the back of my head as it started to throb because of the fall. When the pain started to subside, I remembered that there were people in my house still. I looked around the house and was surprised that Vanitas and Zack was still fully clothed and not showing deep affection towards each other. Vanitas had a wide smirk on his face as he stared at me while I was sitting on the ground.

"See Zack? I told you that if we made some noise, he would come out of his hiding place. Never underestimate me and my thinking."

Zack sighed a little as he gave me an apologetic look.

"So then shortie, do I have to kidnap you back to his place again or will you come with us willingly?"

I gave him an annoyed expression as I sat up to dust off my clothes.

"As much as I would love to go back with you guys, I just got grounded because of your stunt."

As I said this, I headed towards my room upstairs not caring what his response would be. In the corner of my eyes I saw that Vanitas's smirk turned into a panicked expression.

"What seriously? I'm sorry to hear that. I promise to make it up to you, really."

His hurried footsteps indicated that he was following me from behind. When we entered my room, I laid on my bed next to Chibiterasu who was sitting on my pillow. Vanitas looked around the room and was confused for a moment.

"Hey where's your computer and game console? Did you break them or something?"

"No Vanitas, they've been confiscated along with my phone since I didn't contact my parents about going to a sleepover."

"I'm telling you that it was a guy's night out but besides that. Why are your parents so up tight? It's not like you meant to scare them like that."

He took a seat on one of my beanie chairs while Zack entered the room.

"I don't know why don't you go ask them yourself."

I snapped at him again as I petted Chibiterasu's ears. He opened his mouth to say something but then closed it in defeat. After a moment of silence, I sighed.

"Sorry I didn't mean to snap at you. I'm just annoyed about my dad that's all. My mom was forgiving but he wasn't."

"Nah it's alright, you have the right to get angry at me. I should have remembered to inform your parents about this."

"It's okay, just make sure that you buy me pasta everyday. Also, be sure to tell everyone for me to call me 'Ventus' when Axel is around. Then I'll fully forgive you. Right now I'm trying to see how long I can keep my name from him."

"That freshie still doesn't know your name? How cruel of you to keep it from him. You're learning from me after all!"

I pointed at him and ordered Chibiterasu to attack him. Unfortunetly for him he wasn't able to get away in time so he was tackled by the white furball.

"Ahhhhh! Zack help me!"

He reached his hand out to Zack but he waved his hands showing that he would have no part in this.

"You're cruel you know that!"

I laughed as he started struggling to get away from the wolf. I'm such a great trainer. If Chibiterasu was a pokemon, he would be my ace and we could beat the Elite Four in no time.

TIME SKIP- A FEW MONTHS LATER

Although I've been grounded from any kind of technology, I was able to pass my time playing with Chibiterasu and listening to music. It's been hard, but I manage to keep myself calm. Zack was kind enough to lend me some supernatural novels that sounded interesting enough for me to read. I was a sucker for romance books, so Vanitas got me some of that as well as manga.

Other than that, school had been the same as usual. Everyday was still the same routine for me, but I have gotten use to the disappointment. The good thing was that winter break was coming up in two weeks. As soon as school was over for the rest of the year, I was allowed to have my phone, videogames, and technology back.

Right now, I was in my art class doing nothing. Since I already got my drawing graded before the deadline, I was free to do whatever I wanted. Usually I would study for another class like a good student, but right now I wasn't in the mood to do that. Also, I didn't have anything to study for yet. My teachers haven't told me what to study for my final exam.

Some other people who were in the same situation as me did the same. Marluxia would have been in my situation if he hadn't gone all out on this project. His drawing was unrealistic to the teacher and caused him to redraw it every single drawing check he got. To me, this was the problem with art classes. People had different opinions, so grading a person's drawing based on your own thoughts isn't right.

"_Beauty is in the eye of the beholder_."

I stretched my arms and looked at the people around me. Hayner was on my right and he usually studied for another class instead of doing his art work. I could say that he's a good student since he does his work, but it was always at the last minute. Both his academic and extra classes.

However, it's funny to see him get frustrated whenever he noticed that he was way behind. He would panick and start asking Marluxia for help since he knew much more about art than he did. Today I noticed that they were playing with cards, and an instant spark of interest sprouted in me.

"Hey, what are you guys playing?"

"Big two."

"And you guys didn't invite me?"

Hayner shrugged.

"We thought you were working."

"You should know by now that I'm always ahead in my work. Marly, didn't you say you haven't finished your work yet?"

"Yea but this one keeps nagging me to entertain him since he's always bored."

"Hey! You said you were done so I thought it was okay to play cards with you."

"Oh forget it already, Marly you get back with your work while I play against Hayner."

This started our everday game of big two. However, since this wasn't allowed during class, we had to be cautious when the teacher was walking around or looking in our direction. So far he hadn't caught us so it was okay. In my mind, I felt that the teacher knew what we were doing but didn't say anything since we usually got our work done ahead of time. When Hayner and I started playing, he went into a losing streek.

"These cards hate me."

"Yea, but at least you get to start every game with the three of diamonds."

He sighed in defeat as he started shuffling. As he dealt the deck, I walked over to the north side of the room where the beginner class was. For this art class, the advance and beginners were placed in one room since it was large enough for all of us. I sneaked up behind a blond girl's chair as she focused on her drawing. After a few minutes, she finally noticed my presence and was startled. Once she saw that it was me, she chuckled a little.

"Oh hi there Roxas. You scared me a little. Are you finished with your drawing?"

"Yea I decided to migrate over here for a while since I was bored."

She nodded and then continued on with her painting. Even though she was in the beginner class, Namine was by far one of the best artists I've seen. Since she was a freshman, I'm sure if she continued with art, she would ace the advanced class. She's also one of the only freshmen that I can tolerate.

"Oh Ventus, it seems that a certain redhead is staring at you."

I turned my head to where she was pointing at and saw that Axel came into the room with a package for the teacher. After the party, all of my friends agreed that they would call me 'Ventus' when Axel was nearby. This frustrated the redhead to no end and made me amused. In our mind, this meant that I was winning our game.

"It would seem so. Oh, it's time for my card game, see ya Namine."

She waved at me as I headed back to the south side. Hayner was looking down so I was guessing that he was on his phone. When I looked back towards where Axel was, he smiled and waved at me. He was such a happy go lucky guy, it made it entertaing to mess with his mind. I turned my attention back to Hayner and smiled.

"Hayner, the teacher is right behind you."

He immediately flinched and had a scared look on his face as he looked around him. When he noticed that the teacher wasn't behind him, he glared at me.

"You're cruel you know that."

"Sorry, couldn't help it."

Suddenly the bell rang so Hayner cleaned up the cards and gave it back to Marly. We said our good byes and then I waited for Namine. I eyed a brush she didn't pick up and grabbed it as she placed some items away in the cabinets. When she locked it and gathered her stuff, she smiled at me. As we started to walk away, I showed her the brush that was in my hand.

"Oh by the way, this is yours."

She looked at the brush for a second and stopped in her tracks. Her attention switched back to the locked cabinet and then to me.

"Oh my gosh, Roxas."

The brush was grabbed out of my hand and I laughed at the frustrated expression on her face. She grumbled as she reopened the cabinet and then locked it once the brush was inside. I saw the third period people coming in the room and said 'hi' to Leon when he walked in.

"Oh hey, I didn't know you take this class. Why are you still here? Aren't you going to be late for your next class?"

"I'm good since my class is nearby. She has band."

He nodded while looking at the blond girl I was pointing at. For a moment, she just stared at me with a blank expression.

"Do you have anymore supplies that I'm unaware of?"

I shook my head.

"None that I know of."

"Good."

We said our goodbyes then headed to our third period class. For me that meant Chemistry and free time in my mind. Unfortuntely, I was placed with all the stupid people since I wasn't taking an honors class. No offense to the people in my class, but they really were. I got stuck with the people who didn't care about their grade or didn't even try. If they did, then they wouldn't be complaining of their poor grades.

The class was so easy that I can be carefree like I am in art. At first I didn't like it since everyone was a rebel, but a girl name Kairi manage to keep me from my silence. She was an excellent artist that was going to strive in an art major. Also, she was another one of the freshmen I can tolerate.

As I take my seat right next to her in one of the lab tables, she was munching on some of her snacks. I opened one of the drawers in our table and saw a bag of pretzels in it. She looked at me with her cheeks puffed and then offered some to me. I politely declined since I wasn't very fond of pretzels. When class started, the teacher immediately went into a lecture for the new chapter. I looked around the room in boredom then set my eyes on one particularly familiar student.

Since he was on the other side of the room, I was only able to get a glance at his face. This made me a bit annoyed so I started to irritable tap my pen against the desk. Once the lecture was over, the students were suppose to collect something from the front tables. My desk was one of them so I casually glanced at all of the papers for the names. When one caught my interest, I grabbed it as well as my own before placing it under my folder.

"Alright guys, your quiz is on the front two lab tables. Go ahead and pick them up. Bells gonna ring soon."

The room soon filled with voices as everyone started to chat with one another. Some got up to collect their paper while others stayed where they were since they didn't care. As students came and go, I stared at the unfinished drawing in front of me. At one point of time this year, I started to do drawing request for people including Kairi. For now I'm not doing anymore for her because she owes me four drawings already.

The drawing I was working on right now was for Aqua. She showed that she was an awesome artist when she gave me the drawing I requested. That's why I was working so hard on this picture to be perfect. I was surrounded by such wonderfully talented people that I felt I wasn't as great in drawing. However, it was nice to be with people who had the same interest I did.

When the familiar student got up from his seat and head over here, I was finally able to get a good view of his face. Even with that, I wasn't completely sure if this person is who I thought it was. I could see some blond hair under his beanie while his blue eyes scanned the table for his quiz. We both made eye contact for a moment and he didn't pull away for a moment. After that, he went back to searching for his paper. When he didn't find it, he went to the other table.

I took a look at the quiz with his name on it and then stared at the last name for a minute. The guy looked so familiar and the name sounded the same, but I wasn't sure if this was who I thought it was. A sigh left my lips as I decided to go with my gut. When the guy came back to double check the papers that were still on the table, we made eye contact with each other.

"Seifer, do you remember me?"

He blinked once and then showed a small smile that disappeared the next second.

"Yeah."

"Why didn't you talk to me then?"

"I didn't think you remembered me so I said nothing."

I crumpled up the drawing I was working on then threw it at his head.

"You're still as dumb as always."

He chuckled a bit and unfolded the crumpled paper that landed on the table. The smile returned to his face when he flattened out the paper.

"And you're still drawing. You've gotten better."

Kairi noticed our conversation and decided to join in.

"You guys know each other?"

I took out a blank piece of paper and started drawing on it.

"Yeah, in freshman year until this guy left me and our group for another school."

"Hey, I had no choice. You know I went their because it was a better place for me."

"So you say, traitor."

Another hand placed itself on my own to stop me from drawing.

"You know that I wouldn't leave you on purpose, baby."

I smacked his head and continued on with his lead.

"Yeah, I bet the only reason you're back is so you can get back with Hayner now aren't ya."

"Nah nah, you're the only one for me and you know that."

My chin was forcibly titled up so that I can look at Seifer. In the corner of my eye, I could see Kairi was wide eyed as she stared at the scene before her.

"Tch, sweet words aren't going to get to me honey. Try harder."

I swat his hand away from my face and resisted the urge to smile. It was nice to relive some of my freshman memories. He was the only person that I can have this kind of conversation with.

"You haven't changed a bit. That's good since I would die if my baby turned insane while I was gone."

"I could say the same to you since your smooth personality is still their. Too bad you're still a bastard."

This earned another chuckle from the guy as he suddenly made his way around the table and towards me. I stayed calm since I knew he was just trying to intimidate me. When his body loomed over mine, I felt my back touch his chest while he rested his head on my shoulder. I guess all of the students and teacher were so engross with their activities that they didn't pay any attention to us.

"Aw, you don't really think that do you?"

His hands held onto mine again but I didn't react. Instead, I calmly thought of what I was going to draw on the paper.

"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't believe it, Seifer."

He leaned his face closer to mine and blocked my view of Kairi. From her small gasp I could tell that she was still staring at us.

"So cruel. But, I still love you."

Suddenly, the bell rang and the students started exiting the room. I took this time to shake myself from his grip and put my stuff away. Seifer sighed and went back to his seat to do the same. As he started walking out of the class, he stopped at my table.

"I'll talk to _you,_ later."

When he was almost through the doorway I called out to him.

"Does this mean you don't want your quiz back?"

He peeked his head in and walked closer to the paper I held up to his face. His eyes went wide for a second before he snatched the quiz from my hand.

"Tease."

"Yea, instead of calling me names, why don't you start studying more so you can get a passing grade next time."

I waved sweetly at him as he walked away with a grumble. My attention was switched to the freshman right next to me. A chuckle left my lips when I noticed that she was still in shock.

"A-are you guys?"

"Hm?"

She didn't seem to be able to form the words at that point. I knew she was fine with boys being together because she shipped john and dave together from homestuck. So she must be wondering if we used to be a 'thing' back then. The thought made me laugh. It seems that she didn't notice that our recent conversation was for fun. Their was a fine line that Seifer usually crossed since he was more daring than me.

"Come on you're gonna be late to your next class."


End file.
